Superintendent Juneau Convenes 2011-2012 Student Advisory Board at MSU Discussion to Focus on Strengthening Student Voices in Schools

Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau will convene the State Superintendent’s Student Advisory Board (SAB) Tuesday and Wednesday, April 10 and 11 in Bozeman at the Montana State University campus. The focus of the second meeting of this year’s Student Advisory Board is how to better incorporate the voices of students in decision-making at Montana high schools.

"As adults, we often make policies without ever speaking with those who will be most impacted by our decisions-the students. Student voices are critical to understanding how to keep education relevant and engaging and ensure we are preparing students for the next steps in their lives," Superintendent Juneau said.

The Student Advisory Board consists of 40 high school students from 30 Montana schools. It was created as part of Superintendent Juneau’s statewide initiative, Graduation Matters Montana. Graduation Matters Montana aims to increase the number of Montana students who graduate from high school prepared for college and careers through collaborative partnerships with schools, community organizations, businesses, families and youth.

Student Advisory Board members were first nominated by local school and community members and also had to apply for selection to the board. The board members, in grades 9-12, are traveling from rural communities such as Twin Bridges and Valier and from large communities such as Billings and Missoula.

The Student Advisory Board is partly underwritten with the generous support of: Optimum’s Power to Learn initiative, the Student Assistance Foundation, Northwestern Energy, Bozeman Comfort Inn and Montana State University.

WHAT: State Superintendent’s Spring Student Advisory Board Meeting

WHERE: Stadium Club, Bobcat Stadium, MSU Campus

WHEN: Press is invited to attend the meeting between 10:15 AM – 12:30 PM, Wednesday, April 11.

Additional information about the Student Advisory Board, including the agenda, is available on the Graduation Matters Montana website: http://graduationmatters.mt.gov/studentadvisoryboard.